NewzIntel.com

Category: Transport

  • MIL-OSI Submissions: Business – Gebrüder Weiss celebrates 20th anniversary in Serbia

    Source: Gebrüder Weiss

    Since its start two decades ago, the logistics company has invested more than 20 million euros in the development of its network and services in Serbia / New logistics warehouse at the headquarters near Belgrade / Pioneer in the dual training of logistics

    Belgrade / Lauterach, October 22, 2024. Twenty years after entering the Serbian market, the international transport and logistics company Gebrüder Weiss take positive stock. “Serbia has undergone a remarkable economic development in recent years. Our decision to establish a central logistics hub for the Western Balkans here has proven to be the right one,” explained Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss, to media representatives in Belgrade on October 18.

    Serbia has developed into an attractive procurement market for automotive parts, food, textiles, and furniture, with around 70 percent of exports going to the EU. In addition, the Balkan country is the main supplier of agricultural products to many of its neighboring countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

    Today, Gebrüder Weiss offers its customers in Serbia land, air and sea freight transport, customs clearance and logistics solutions. Groupage freight shipments go to neighboring countries and the EU single market several times a week. The logistics provider has a total of 20,000 square meters of logistics space in the country. In 2023, the company generated net revenue of 53 million euros.

    In addition to its headquarters in Dobanovci near Belgrade, Gebrüder Weiss has three other locations in Serbia: in Novi Sad in the north and in Niš and Strojkovce near Leskovac in the south. A new logistics warehouse in Dobanovci recently commenced operations. The company has already invested over 20 million euros in its logistics facilities. “By the end of the year, we will have invested an additional million euros in our home delivery services and additional warehouse space,” says Thomas Schauer, Regional Manager for Central and Southeastern Europe at Gebrüder Weiss.

    Another area of focus is sustainability. For example, the Dobanovci location obtains all of its electricity from a solar power plant, reducing CO2 emissions by 90 tons per year. Eight natural gas trucks (CNG) operate on four routes for the consumer goods industry. In addition, detergents and cleaning agents are transported sustainably by rail to Germany. “Every year, 1,500 containers roll by rail from Budapest to the Ruhr area. This saves us more than a thousand tons of CO2 compared to conventional truck transport,” explains Roland Raith, Country Manager Serbia at Gebrüder Weiss. Next year, zero-emission e-transporters will also be used for deliveries to end customers in Serbia.

    Starting with a small office in Belgrade in 2004, Gebrüder Weiss now employs 300 people in Serbia. Gebrüder Weiss was one of the first logistics companies to implement the principle of dual training for young professionals there. Since 2018, young professionals have been receiving both on-the-job and academic training in cooperation with the Transport and Technical School in Belgrade. “We offer young professionals long-term career prospects in a range of logistics occupations,” says Roland Raith.

    Gebrüder Weiss Serbia at a glance:

    Founded: 2004
    2023 annual revenue: 53 million euros
    Employees: 300
    Logistics area: 20,000 square meters
    Investment volume since market entry: over 20 million euros
    Latest expansion: 3,600 square meters of new warehouse space at the Dobanovci headquarters
    Overland shipments handled in 2023: 290,000
    Home deliveries in 2023: 62,000
    20 Years GW Serbia

    About Gebrüder Weiss

    Gebrüder Weiss Holding AG, based in Lauterach, Austria, is a globally operative full-service logistics provider with about 8,600 employees at 180 company-owned locations. The company generated revenues of 2.46 billion euros in 2023. Its portfolio encompasses transport and logistics solutions, digital services, and supply chain management. The twin strengths of digital and physical competence enable Gebrüder Weiss to respond swiftly and flexibly to customers’ needs. The family-run organization – with a history going back more than half a millennium – has implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic, and social initiatives. Today, it is also considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices. http://www.gw-world.com

    MIL OSI – Submitted News –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Beyond survival: Helping children and adults cope with the traumas of war in Lebanon

    Source: Médecins Sans Frontières –

    “My daughter is only 14, but with all the difficulties we’ve faced, she’s reacting like an adult to the bombings,” says Ezdihar, a displaced mother in Lebanon. “She’s had to grow up quickly.”

    On the night of 28 September, Ezdihar and her family were having dinner at home in the southern suburbs of Beirut when they received an alert about an imminent strike by Israeli forces. While her husband went to care for his mother, Ezdihar took her children and, with neighbours, sought refuge in central Beirut.

    After spending a night on the streets, they moved into the Azarieh shelter, a repurposed commercial building now housing around 3,500 displaced people. Today, they are among 1.2 million people displaced by the war between Hezbollah and Israel, according to Lebanese authorities.

    Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is attending to the medical and mental health needs of people living in collective shelters like Azarieh, including children like Ezdihar’s daughter. She is one of a generation navigating a landscape of fear and uncertainty, in which children are hit the hardest. 

    The mental health impacts of war and displacement

    In less than a month since the escalation of war, more than 2,300 people have been killed in Lebanon, with the majority of deaths occurring in the last 3 weeks. More than 11,100 have been injured, according to health authorities.

    The violence and destruction people are witnessing can have lasting impacts on psychological and emotional well-being, especially for children. Like Ezdihar’s daughter, countless children across Lebanon have had to grow up quickly under the harsh realities of war, including being uprooted from their homes, having their schooling disrupted, being separated from their friends, and losing access to basic necessities like food and shelter.

    Ezdihar, a displaced mother in Lebanon “My daughter is only 14, but with all the difficulties we’ve faced, she’s reacting like an adult to the bombings.”

    “Many parents are observing behavioural issues in their children—anger, aggression, and other troubling behaviors—which heightens concern for their well-being,” said Amani Al Mashaqba, MSF’s mental health activity manager in the Bekaa governorate.

    Children are not the only ones in need of mental health support, however. Many of MSF’s patients report feeling overwhelmed and traumatised by the constant threat of violence, expressing deep concerns about their future in an unstable environment.

    Grief over lost family members and the pain of separation due to displacement further compound their distress. Others worry about managing chronic health conditions or the possibility of missing a year of school. These experiences have had a significant impact on people’s mental health.

    “People are expressing a strong need for mental health services, particularly for trauma,” Al Mashaqba added. “It’s affecting their daily lives, from sleep disturbances to appetite loss.”

    MSF teams are responding by providing general and mental healthcare to displaced people, including psychological first aid and psychoeducation through our mobile medical units across the country. However, getting people to acknowledge their struggles and express vulnerability isn’t always easy.

    Many feel they should remain resilient in the face of hardship, as our mental health teams have observed. Convincing them that it is okay to experience emotions has been a challenge at times, particularly for young boys who are commonly taught to suppress their feelings.

    An MSF staff member organises activities for children in Azareh shelter. Beirut, Lebanon, 11 October 2024.
    Antoni Lallican/Hans Lucas

    To further extend this support, MSF has also launched a helpline through which people can receive remote assistance from clinical psychologists who help manage trauma-related symptoms such as anxiety and grief.

    A helpline for healing

    The MSF helpline allows us to reach people who are unable to access our services in person, particularly in the south of Lebanon, where heavy bombardments and mobility restrictions make travel difficult. This accessibility is crucial during such a volatile period, as many individuals are on the move and face barriers to accessing care including the high cost of transportation and cultural stigma surrounding mental health.

    Many of the helpline callers are parents facing difficulty trying to help their children cope during the war, often while noticing changes in their children’s behavior.

    Parents are struggling to explain the frightening sounds of bombs and gunfire to their kids, at times resorting to misleading explanations in an effort to reassure them. Gunfire, for example, may be described as “happy shooting,” such as shots fired in celebration during weddings. Our helpline psychologists equip parents with strategies to communicate honestly and create safe spaces for their children to express their feelings.

    “While we must be realistic about the situation, we also need to normalise their feelings,” explained Al Mashaqba. “It’s important for parents to listen to their children and understand how the sounds affect them. They can encourage kids to share their feelings through drawing or talking.”

    Facing increasing demand, the helpline has seen a dramatic rise in calls, from five calls a day in the beginning to as many as 80 in a single afternoon. Overall, the helpline has received nearly 300 mental health calls, the majority coming in the last two weeks alone.

    In addition, our mobile teams have facilitated psychological first aid group sessions for nearly 5,000 individuals as of 21 October, and more than 450 people have benefitted from individual mental health sessions.

    Our teams also provide psychological first aid, which includes active listening and techniques for stress relief, allowing patients to express their feelings and concerns. Along with critical medical and mental healthcare, our teams are also distributing essential items such as mattresses and hygiene kits to displaced people.

    A country in crisis

    This current war comes on the heels of a prolonged economic crisis that left over 80 per cent of the Lebanese population living below the poverty line and in urgent need of assistance. The healthcare sector has faced severe challenges, with public services deteriorating and private healthcare becoming increasingly unaffordable.

    “One of my psychologists shared that when a woman learned our services are free, she began to cry,” Al Mashaqba noted. “People are often unaccustomed to having access to these kinds of resources without the financial burden.”

    Moreover, Lebanon is home to a significant number of refugees, including 1.5 million Syrians and over 200,000 Palestinians, many of whom have faced repeated displacements. For these individuals, the fear of deportation and the struggle to find safety can be overwhelming.
     
    “Some have told me they would rather die than experience the trauma of being a refugee again,” Al Mashaqba said.

    MSF is conducting ongoing needs assessments for internally displaced people, and as the situation evolves, our teams are working closely with partners and hospital networks to provide comprehensive support wherever possible.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI: Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED” Signs Agreement with Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company “SRPC”

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    CAIRO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mr. George Matharu, President of Elite Capital & Co. Limited “ECC” (Financial Lead Arranger of Soukhna Refinery), and His Excellency Eng. Sameh Fahmy, Chairman of Egyptian Petroleum Investments Corporation “EPI Corp.” (Founding Director and Lead Consultant of Soukhna Refinery), announced today that the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED” has signed a Term Sheet for handling, storing, and transferring crude oil feedstock and petroleum products with the Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company “SRPC”.

    “SUMED signing the Term Sheet with Soukhna Refinery – SRPC will reduce the refinery construction cost by USD 700 Million, making the project’s capital USD 4.7 Billion, which will positively reflect on the appetite of targeted investors to enter as partners into the project, while reducing any future financing burdens and contributing to the expected financing process,” Mr. George Matharu said.

    The SUMED Pipeline (also known as the Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline) is an oil pipeline in Egypt, running from the Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez, the northernmost terminus of the Red Sea, to offshore Sidi Kerir port, Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Arabian Gulf region to the Mediterranean.

    The pipeline is owned by the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED”, a joint venture of Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation “EGPC” (50%, Egypt), Saudi Aramco (15%, Saudi Arabia), Mubadala Investment Company “Formerly IPIC” (15%, the United Arab Emirates), Kuwait Investment Authority “KIA” (15%, Kuwait), and QatarEnergy (5%, Qatar).

    His Excellency Eng. Sameh Fahmy, Chairman of EPI Corp (former Minister of Petroleum), added, “Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company – SRPC is a promising project and will be one of the most important petroleum and petrochemical projects globally, especially since it is located in the heart of the world to serve four important markets – Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Therefore, the project’s success is inevitable, as all companies involved in this project are currently cooperating with Elite Capital & Co. Limited to provide the necessary financing to build it.”

    SRPC’s Project is a petroleum complex consisting of an oil refinery, petrochemical technology, mini hospital, and petroleum studies institute. This project is located at the heart of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, specifically in Ain Sokhna, and it is surrounded by the continents of Asia from the east, Europe from the north, and Africa from the west.

    The refining capacity of the oil refinery is 208 thousand barrels per day, which will be relied upon in selling oil derivatives and fed by petrochemical technology, and therefore the project will be one of the world scale state of the art strategic refinery project in the world in selling oil derivatives and petrochemical products.

    “Implementation of the project will support the economy of Egypt, which witnessed remarkable development in all sectors during the era of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and which are expected to flourish in the coming period,” Eng. Sameh Fahmy said.

    Elite Capital & Co. Limited is a Financial Management company that provides project-related services including Management, Consultancy, and Funding, particularly for large infrastructure and mega commercial projects.

    Elite Capital & Co. Limited offers a wealth of experience in Banking and Financial transactions and has a range of specialized advisory services for private clients, medium and large corporations as well as governments. It is also the exclusive manager of the Government Future Financing 2030 Program®.

    Mr. George Matharu concluded his statement by saying: “We are currently working on preliminary negotiations with international sovereign entities to enter the project as major partners representing the main source of crude oil supply to the refinery. After that, we will move to the potential financing process according to the data that will be available at the time.”

    Elite Capital & Co. – Contact Details –

    Elite Capital & Co. Limited
    33 St. James Square
    London, SW1Y4JS
    United Kingdom

    Telephone: +44 (0) 203 709 5060
    SWIFT Code: ELCTGB21
    LEI Code: 254900NNN237BBHG7S26

    Website: ec.uk.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ccd23ff-3956-40af-9c99-7fa85dfd3325

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: The EBA clarifies the procedure for the classification of asset referenced tokens and e-money tokens as significant and the transfer of supervisory powers between the EBA and competent authorities

    Source: European Banking Authority

    The European Banking Authority (EBA) published today a Decision setting out the procedural aspects related to the significance assessment of asset-referenced tokens (ARTs) and e-money tokens (EMTs) and the transfer of supervisory responsibilities, including the establishment of supervisory colleges for significant ARTs (s-ARTs) and significant EMTs (s-EMTs).

    The Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCAR) sets out a new supervisory regime for ART and EMT issuers, which includes significance assessments and reassessments of ARTs and EMTs by the EBA, transfer of supervisory responsibilities from national competent authorities to the EBA and the establishment of supervisory colleges for s-ARTs and s-EMTs. 

    In its Decision, the EBA details the following procedural aspects:

    • it introduces a harmonised reporting calendar for national competent authorities and clarifies the respective reference periods and remittance dates.   
    • it clarifies the reporting obligations for issuers of s-ARTs and s-EMTs and the reporting of data relevant for the establishment of the supervisory colleges. 
    • it sets out the procedural arrangements and timeline to be followed for the consultation procedures with related parties when the EBA is to notify its draft and final decisions on significance assessment to the home NCA of the issuer, the issuer, the ECB and the national central bank, where relevant.  
    • it establishes the procedural steps and information required in this respect to support a smooth transition of supervisory competences between the EBA and national competent authorities for issuers of s-ARTs and issuers of s-EMTs.
    • it provides for different templates to facilitate the implementation of the procedure, including a template for national competent authorities’ notification of voluntary classification requests from issuers of ART and EMT and a template for the issuer, the competent authority of the issuer’s home Member State, the ECB and relevant central bank to provide observations and comments in writing to the EBA’s draft decision to classify or to no longer classify an ART or EMT as significant.

    Legal basis and background

    The EBA Decision EBA/DC/558 was adopted on the basis of Articles 35 and 44 of Regulation (EU) No 1093/2010 (EBA Regulation), and Articles 43, 44, 56, 57, 117, 119 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 (MiCAR).

    The EBA is responsible for carrying out assessments of ARTs and EMTs in order to identify if they meet the criteria for significance as set out in MiCAR. When classifying an ART or EMT as ‘significant’, the EBA is responsible for carrying out relevant supervisory tasks under MiCAR, including establishing, managing and chairing supervisory colleges. 

    The EBA is responsible for conducting direct supervision of issuers of s-ARTs, while s-EMTs (where issued by electronic money institutions) are subject to ‘dual supervision’ by the EBA and the respective home NCA. The EBA will exercise its supervisory powers in close cooperation with any other competent authorities responsible for supervising the respective issuers (in cases where the issuer also carries out other financial services activities). As part of its supervisory activities, the EBA may request information from issuers, conduct investigations, carry out on-site inspections, take supervisory measures and impose fines. 

    The EBA is continuously and actively engaging with national competent authorities to ensure it can carry out effectively its supervision mandate under MiCAR.  

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Statutory Instrument laid in Parliament sets out first steps in delivering Medical Device Regulatory Reform and strengthening patient safety

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The new legislation will introduce clearer and risk-proportionate requirements that improve the safety of medical devices across Great Britain and provide certainty for manufacturers ahead of introducing the wider future regulatory regime.

    The Post-market Surveillance (PMS) Statutory instrument (SI) laid in Parliament yesterday evening is the first major update to the framework of medical device regulations in Great Britain, led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

    In 2021, the MHRA consulted on the ‘Future Regulation of Medical Devices in the UK’ in response to recommendations set out in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety (IMMDS) review, published in 2020.

    Responses to the consultation were strongly supportive of introducing clearer and more robust PMS requirements to improve patient and public safety and called for closer alignment with international approaches.

    Since January 2021 all medical devices have been required to be registered with the MHRA before they can be placed on the market in Great Britain a step-change in the Agency’s oversight of medical devices, allowing us to take more rapid action where safety concerns are identified.

    By introducing clear, risk-proportionate requirements, the new legislation laid yesterday evening will build on measures already introduced to improve patient safety, facilitating greater traceability of incidents and reporting trends.

    Laura Squire, MedTech Regulatory Reform Lead and Chief Officer at the MHRA, said:

    “Patient safety is our priority, and these new measures are expected to further reduce adverse incidents by ensuring manufacturers identify and address issues earlier and reduce the time for corrective actions to be taken. 

    “While the new legislation is focused on patient safety, it also benefits innovation and growth of the sector, with the collection of real-world data helping manufacturers to further improve existing products.

    “This legislation reflects the Government’s wider priority of improving patient safety and is the first part of the new regulatory framework coming in for medical devices.’’

    The explosion of innovation in health technology in recent years has the potential to bring transformative approaches to healthcare. These regulations will provide the necessary oversight to ensure that this progress is made as safely as possible.

    This regulation also ensures that we have a strong foundation for patient safety in place before we bring forward future measures such as international reliance which will allow patients to benefit more quickly from some types of medical devices that have already been approved for use in other countries. We are committed to delivering a framework of regulatory reform that encourages innovation and growth in life sciences and which, in turn, brings huge benefits to patients.

    Comprehensive guidance to support manufacturers with implementation and compliance will be published once the Parliamentary process has been concluded.

    The SI proposes a six-month implementation period once Parliamentary processes have been concluded. This regulation could, therefore, become law in Summer 2025.

    Ends

    Notes to Editors

    For media enquiries, please contact the newscentre@mhra.gov.uk, or call on 020 3080 7651.

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Put safety first at Halloween

    Source: Northern Ireland Direct

    Date published:

    Put safety first at Halloween. Fireworks, candles and sparklers can be dangerous, so make sure they are used safely. Follow the Firework Code to keep safe.

    Fireworks 

    Fireworks are dangerous and can set fire to buildings and clothing. They can also cause serious injury, particularly to your hands and face.

    You must have a licence to buy or use fireworks.

    Fireworks can cause fear and distress, especially for older people and more vulnerable members of the community.

    Fireworks can also traumatise pets and farm animals.

    Low noise fireworks may be available to buy from your local registered retailer.

    There’s more information at the following link:

    Firework safety advice

    Fireworks should only be lit in a safe and controlled environment by a responsible adult.

    You should:

    • follow the Firework Code
    • only buy fireworks marked with a CE mark
    • not drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
    • keep children well away from fireworks
    • always supervise children around fireworks
    • keep pets and animals indoors 
    • keep fireworks in a sealed box or tin when not in use
    • only use fireworks one at a time 
    • keep fireworks away from anything that could cause them to light 
    • follow the manufacturer’s instructions on each firework and use them one at a time
    • only light fireworks outside in an open space
    • light them at arm’s length using a taper and stand well back
    • never go near a firework that has been lit, even if it hasn’t gone off – it could still explode
    • never put fireworks in your pocket
    • never throw fireworks

    Sparklers

    Sparklers may seem harmless but they burn at very high temperatures.

    To a young child, the heat from a sparkler is similar to the heat from a welding torch.

    You should:

    • store sparklers in a closed box in a cool, dry place
    • never give sparklers to children under the age of five
    • always supervise children using sparklers
    • always light sparklers one at a time 
    • keep sparklers at arm’s length, away from faces, and wear gloves (preferably leather)
    • never hold a sparkler in your hand while also holding a child 
    • never wave sparklers near someone, as you could burn them
    • plunge burnt out sparklers hot end down into a bucket of water (sparklers stay hot for a long time)
    • not take sparklers to public displays 

    Fancy dress costumes

    Fancy dress costumes can be highly flammable.

    If you’re making your own don’t use flammable materials such as black plastic bags.

    Look out for costumes that are labelled ‘Low Flammability’ ‘BS5722’ or have the European code ‘BS EN 14878’.

    If a child is wearing a fancy dress costume this Halloween:

    • make sure they are properly supervised at all times
    • keep them away from fireworks and naked flames 
    • avoid using a naked flame or candle in pumpkins or turnips – use a torch, glow stick or battery-operated candle
    • choose a costume and mask that doesn’t restrict your or your child’s vision
    • avoid a costume with long, trailing fabric
    • make sure they wear woollen tights or ‘heavy’ trousers (jeans) and a woollen jumper under the costume
    • make them aware of ‘stop, drop and roll’ – to quickly try to put the flames out if clothing does catch on fire try (and also to stop the flames from rising towards their face)

    Fireworks and the law

    Fireworks must be bought from a licensed dealer, who is required to keep record of sales.

    Fireworks bought from other sources could be of a sub-standard quality, presenting an even bigger risk of injury.

    It is also essential that you have a licence when buying any fireworks.

    You can find a list of licensed dealers on the fireworks page.

    For any enquiries on the use of fireworks, phone the fireworks helpline. 

    More useful links

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Fraudulent websites and phishing instant messages related to Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd.

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

         The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. relating to fraudulent websites and phishing instant messages, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

         The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).

         Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites or instant messages concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: September sees 2.2% inflation

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Overall consumer prices rose 2.2% year-on-year in September, a smaller rate of increase than the 2.5% seen in August, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

    Netting out the effects of the Government’s one-off relief measures, underlying inflation was 0.9%, also smaller than that recorded in August. 

    Compared with September last year, price increases were seen in the following categories: alcoholic drinks and tobacco; electricity, gas and water; housing; miscellaneous services; meals out and takeaway food; miscellaneous goods; and transport.

    Meanwhile, year-on-year decreases were recorded for clothing and footwear; basic food; and durable goods.

    The Government said overall inflation should stay mild in the near term and the continued growth of the Hong Kong economy could pose some moderate upward pressures on domestic costs.

    Meanwhile, external price pressures should ease further, though uncertainties in the external environment remain, it added.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Rector of SPbPU Andrey Rudskoy became a participant of the XXII Mendeleev Congress

    Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    The 22nd Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry was held in the federal territory of Sirius. The rector of Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Rudskoy took part in the work of the congress.

    This year, the forum was dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the 190th anniversary of the birth of Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleyev. The event is also part of the main program of the Decade of Science and Technology in Russia.

    Four thousand delegates from 40 countries, including over 1,420 young scientists and students, discussed various aspects of chemical science and education over three days. The congress program included nine plenary sessions, 75 sectional sessions within nine sections, 12 symposia, two round tables and three poster sessions, thematically covering all the main areas of fundamental and applied chemistry, the chemical industry, and the history of chemistry. The congress featured an exhibition of devices, scientific, technical and innovative developments of enterprises and organizations from various regions of Russia, as well as an exhibition of scientific literature.

    Among the special features of this year is a separate program for schoolchildren, “Mendeleev Congress for Children,” organized in Sirius together with the International Festival SCIENCE 0, PhyschemQuest, a symposium on the popularization of chemistry, and much more.

    At the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Denis Sekirinsky read out a greeting from the head of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science Valery Falkov. On the first day of the congress, lectures were given by the President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Krasnikov, the President of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” Mikhail Kovalchuk, the 2011 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry Dan Shechtman (Israel), a professor of physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico Ana Maria Cetto Kramis, and a professor at the University of Southern California Valery Fokin.

    At the plenary session on the third day of the congress, the rector of SPbPU, chairman of the SPbB RAS Andrey Rudskoy gave a report on the current state and prospects for the development of thermomechanical processing of steel.

    One of the most relevant areas of development of metallurgy and mechanical engineering is the creation and implementation of new resource-saving technologies based on modern scientific achievements, ensuring an increase in the range of technological and operational characteristics of products while simultaneously reducing their material and energy intensity, – noted the rector of the Polytechnic University. – These include progressive technologies of plastic forming, which allow a sharp increase in the level of mechanical, technological and operational properties and, first of all, thermomechanical processing (TMO), which, due to the constant improvement of schemes and the creation of new ones, as well as more precise process control, allows achieving an increasingly higher range of mechanical and service properties.

    Andrey Rudskoy emphasized that TMT is the most important energy- and resource-saving technology that allows for the production of modern products with increased structural strength and improved service characteristics from steel and alloys for various industries. It is currently used in the manufacture of products in space, aviation technology, shipbuilding, transport, medicine and many other areas. The Rector of St. Petersburg State University gave examples of products that were created using thermomechanical processing. These are shafts and axles for special tracked vehicles, profile rings, steel for ships, icebreakers and platforms, etc. Developing the topic, the RAS academician also spoke about metal pressure processing methods and materials used in TMT technologies.

    The development of new TMO schemes in combination with rational alloying allows us to sharply reduce the costs of producing high-quality products for critical purposes and contribute to solving the problems of import substitution, concluded Andrey Rudskoy.

    In conclusion, the Chairman of the SPbB RAS recalled that St. Petersburg materials science played an outstanding role in the history of world and domestic science and technology. Currently, the largest universities, research organizations and industrial enterprises work in the Northern capital in the field of creating new materials and technologies. Among them are: SPbPU, SPbSU, St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University, National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute” – Central Research Institute of KM “Prometheus”, A.F. Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute and others.

    The work of the congress once again confirmed that chemistry occupies a key place in the successful transition to sustainable development of the economy of the Russian Federation, and allows us to solve a wide range of problems of scientific and technological progress – from studying the molecular foundations of life, methods of rational use of natural resources and ensuring the safety of the natural environment to the creation of new materials and energy sources and the engineering of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly chemical technologies.

    Reference

    Mendeleev Congresses are scientific forums with international participation in the field of fundamental and applied chemistry. They are held at intervals of 4–5 years and cover the main areas of development of chemical science, technology and industry. The first congress was held in 1907 in St. Petersburg and was dedicated to the memory of Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev.

    The XXI Mendeleev Congress was held in 2019 in St. Petersburg and became the main event of the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.

    Photo: http://vk.com/mendeleevcongress

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How finance can be part of the solution to the world’s biodiversity crisis

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Emma O’Donnell, Research Assistant, Environmental Change Institute and PhD Candidate, Nature-based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford

    Nature loss should be treated with the same urgency as climate change. NOBUHIRO ASADA/Shutterstock

    More than half of the world’s total GDP is at least moderately dependent on nature. Yet arguably, there is no economy (or life) without nature. A quarter of animal and planet species are now threatened, and 14 out of 18 key ecosystem services – including fertile soils to grow food, flood and disease control and regulation of air and water pollution – are in decline.

    These ecosystem services are essential and have no easy substitutes. Despite this, almost US$7 trillion (£5.4 trillion) per year is spent by governments and the private sector on subsidies and economic activities that have a negative impact on nature – including intensive agriculture and fossil-fuel subsidies. This compares to only US$200 billion that is spent on nature-based solutions (just a third of what is estimated to be needed).

    Although the biodiversity crisis has often been overshadowed by climate change on the global stage, the tide is turning. In 2022, the Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework was adopted with its overarching goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

    At the end of October 2024, the signatories of the framework will again come together at the UN’s Cop16 biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia, to negotiate the implementation of their targets. To make progress towards these goals, Cop16 aims to align finance with the framework; effectively ensuring finance is part of the solution rather than the problem.

    To do this, the flow of finance will need to be redirected. A central lever in this is the pricing of risk. Financial institutions face significant risk, both from the degradation of ecosystem services (physical risks) and the social responses to degradation, including regulation and changing consumer demand (transition risks). Yet these risks are not fully priced into financial decisions.

    On top of this, corporations do not disclose their nature-related risks, dependencies and impacts, making it difficult for financial institutions to understand the implications of their investments. Together, this means that finance continues to flow unhindered into riskier activities.

    Central banks are now starting to highlight risks from nature to financial institutions and to explore the areas where these risks manifest in the financial system.

    The financial risks are real

    Earlier this year, we published the first study of the seriousness of nature-related financial risks.

    We found that, for the UK, nature-related shocks could cause a 6% decline in GDP by 2030 under scenarios such as soil health decline or water scarcity putting pressure on global supply chains. And there could be a drop in GDP of more than 12% in the scenario of an antimicrobial resistance or pandemic shock, driven by increased human-wildlife interaction due to habitat loss and deforestation.

    These results are equal to or even greater than the UK’s 6% decrease in GDP after the 2008 financial crisis and 9.7% during the 2020 COVID lockdowns.

    We also found that nature-related financial risks were of a similar scale to climate-related risks. Nature loss and climate change occur in parallel, amplify and compound each other. As such, it is essential that solutions look to solve both challenges simultaneously. After all, what is the point of having a cooler planet that is no longer livable?

    Of its 23 targets for 2030, the GBF includes two goals that specifically address finance. Target 18 aims to reduce incentives for financial flows that damage nature by at least US$500 billion per year and scale up incentives for nature-positive financial flows. And target 19 aims to mobilise US$200 billion per year for restoring and protecting nature, including at least US$30 billion from international finance flowing from developed to developing countries. A further target, target 15, calls for the disclosure of nature-related risks, dependencies and impacts by firms.

    COP16 gets under way in Cali, Colombia.

    So, what do we need from Cop16 to pull the financial risk lever?

    First, there must be international recognition that the long-term, widespread and often irreversible risks of the biodiversity crisis are not being priced by the financial system, despite progress on the integration of climate risks. This can cause a buildup of systemic risks and lead to financial instability; as such, there must be a global consensus that central banks play a key role in taking proactive measures to manage this.

    Second, at the individual, corporate and financial institution level, firms must manage and disclose their nature-related financial risks, alongside their climate risks.

    Third, similar to transition finance for net zero, financial institutions must begin to engage actively with clients to explore opportunities to support their transition towards more nature-positive activities and reflect this within their transition plans.

    Securing financial resilience and nature and climate goals are synonymous; and all are essential for securing economic growth and sustainable development globally.

    Emma O’Donnell receives funding from the UK Natural Science Research Council.

    Jimena Alvarez receives funding from UK Natural Environment Research Council.

    Nicola Ranger receives funding from the UK Natural Environment Research Council, Climate Arc and EU Horizon

    – ref. How finance can be part of the solution to the world’s biodiversity crisis – https://theconversation.com/how-finance-can-be-part-of-the-solution-to-the-worlds-biodiversity-crisis-241829

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: #synod24 – Notice of Briefing

    Source: The Holy See

    Today, Tuesday 22 October 2024, at 13.30, a briefing will be held in the Holy See Press Office, Via della Conciliazione 54, to provide an update on the work of the Second Session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
    The speakers will be:
    – His Eminence Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, O.F.M. Cap., president of the “Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar” (S.E.C.A.M.);
    – Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Bamenda, Cameroon, member of the Ordinary Council, member of the Commission for Information of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops;
    – Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, military ordinary for the Federal Republic of Germany;
    – The Reverend Clarence Sandanaraj Davedassan, witness of the synodal process, Asia;
    – Dr. Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication and chair of the Commission for Information of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops;
    – Dr. Sheila Leocádia Pires, communications officer of the “Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference” (S.A.C.B.C.), secretary of the Commission for Information of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
    The briefing will be livestreamed on the Vatican News YouTube channel, at https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Chris Hoy reveals that he has terminal cancer – here’s how to spot early signs of prostate cancer

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

    Sir Chris Hoy, an inspiration to so many of us, has just revealed he has terminal prostate cancer aged just 48 years old.

    It’s easy to assume that prostate cancer is a disease that only affects older men. But it can strike at any age, including younger and middle-aged men.

    Although the average age of diagnosis is 68, about one in ten new cases are in men under 55. In fact, doctors have noticed more cases in younger men in recent years. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, it’s worth knowing about the risks and signs of prostate cancer.

    When prostate cancer does occur in younger men, it tends to be more aggressive. If you’re diagnosed at a younger age, there’s a higher chance the cancer might be at a more advanced stage. This means it could be more dangerous than prostate cancer in older men. That’s why it’s crucial to catch it early if you can.

    There are several signs that could point to prostate cancer. People affected might notice that they’re going to the bathroom more often, especially at night. Some people can have trouble starting or stopping when they pee, or their urine flow might be weak or stop and start.

    Some men see blood in their urine or semen. Problems with erections, pain when you pee, or discomfort in your pelvic area are other possible signs.

    If you notice any of these, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor. Remember, these symptoms can be caused by lots of other conditions too, including being part of normal ageing, but it’s always best to get them checked.

    Even if you don’t have symptoms, if you’re over 50, or over 45 with prostate cancer in your family, it’s worth having a chat with your doctor about prostate cancer screening. In this case, you might have heard of the PSA test. It’s a blood test that can help diagnose prostate problems, including cancer. But it’s not offered as a routine screening test for everyone.

    Like a lot of diagnostic tests, the PSA test isn’t perfect. It can miss some cancers, and sometimes it says there might be cancer when there isn’t. This can lead to unnecessary worry and more tests. Also, it can’t tell the difference between slow-growing cancers that might never cause problems and more aggressive ones that need treatment. That’s why doctors suggest discussing it before deciding to have the test.

    Sometimes there’s a genetic element to prostate cancers in younger people. There are genes that increase the risk of prostate cancer, and the same or similar genes increase the risk of other cancers like breast cancer.

    If there are lots of men in your family affected by prostate cancer, or male relatives with breast cancer or younger people affected, it is worth having genetic tests to understand your own risk.

    Sometimes people are even considered for a prostatectomy, which means a removal of one’s prostate, to decrease the risk of cancer occurring later on. In the future, these genetic tests will happen more and more, which is good news.

    Overdiagnosis

    One of the tricky things about prostate cancer screening is something called overdiagnosis. Many prostate cancers grow so slowly that they might never cause any problems. But once they’re found, men often want to treat them.

    This can lead to side-effects that affect quality of life, even though the cancer itself might never have been harmful. That’s why doctors are careful about how they approach screening and diagnosis.

    Some research suggests that just keeping an eye on things is better for elderly people, but this really isn’t the case for younger people.

    You might be wondering about other tests for prostate cancer. The digital rectal exam, where a doctor checks your prostate with a gloved finger, used to be a common part of screening. These days, it’s not always considered necessary, especially if other tests like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans are available.

    MRI scans where you typically go in a narrow tube are being used more and more to look for prostate cancer. They can help find suspicious areas and guide biopsies if needed.

    The first inkling Hoy had that something was wrong was when he developed shoulder pain, meaning the cancer had already spread. We do see this as oncologists, but in most cases, it’s localised to the prostate gland in the pelvis.

    If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, there are an increasing number of treatment options available. These might include keeping a close eye on slow-growing cancers without immediate treatment, surgery to remove the prostate, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or chemotherapy for advanced cases.

    We also have targeted drugs taken as tablets now too. The best choice depends on things like your age, how advanced the cancer is, and your overall health.

    You might have heard that more men die with prostate cancer than from it. While this is true, it doesn’t mean you should ignore any concerns you have. Early detection and treatment can be crucial, especially for more aggressive cancers.

    If you’re worried about any symptoms or about your risk of prostate cancer, don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. Being proactive about your health is important. Remember, many men diagnosed with prostate cancer go on to live long, full lives, especially when it’s caught early.

    Justin Stebbing does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Chris Hoy reveals that he has terminal cancer – here’s how to spot early signs of prostate cancer – https://theconversation.com/chris-hoy-reveals-that-he-has-terminal-cancer-heres-how-to-spot-early-signs-of-prostate-cancer-241851

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Sam Woods: Competing for growth

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Regulation, competitiveness and growth

    A lot has been said about the UK financial regulators’ new secondary competitiveness and growth objective, so I hesitate to add to the chat. Our focus is on actions because they are said to speak louder than words. However, it is regularly reported to me that some stakeholders doubt that we are taking any meaningful action to deliver our new objective – and from this I have learned that sometimes in life it is necessary to tell people what actions you are taking, as well as taking them!

    I will also attempt a little myth-busting, because I have observed that the debate on regulation can be dominated by extremes. On the one hand, it is surprisingly often asserted that the regulators are trying to remove all risk from the system and don’t care about their impact on the wider economy. It is easy to demonstrate that this is nonsense. On the other hand, it’s simply not true that any change to our regulations will unleash financial mayhem, and there is plenty in our regime that can be improved without undermining stability.

    So if you take only two things from this speech, I hope they are these:

    • first, that we are strongly committed to our new objective, and are taking concrete steps to improve our regime’s contribution to UK growth and competitiveness;
    • and second, that we are going about this in a careful, balanced way – reducing bureaucratic processes and some excess conservatism while preserving financial stability.

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI Economics: Ahmet Ismaili: Opening speech – 22nd Meeting of the Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European – European Insurance Supervision Initiative 

    Source: Bank for International Settlements

    Dear Mr. Peter Braumüller, Managing Director of Insurance and Pension Supervision at the Austrian Financial Market Authority,

    Dear Deputy Governor Cakaj,

    Distinguished representatives of Insurance Regulatory Authorities,

    Ladies and gentlemen,

    It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Prishtina at the 22nd Meeting of the CESEE – European Insurance Supervision Initiative – ISI (Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European).

    Before I continue with my opening remarks, I would like to extend a special thank you to Mr. Peter Braumüller and to all the team involved to the organisation of this event.

    Mr. Braumüller, your leadership continue to be crucial in keeping this initiative a success. Your commitment to fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among our diverse community is truly admirable, and we are grateful for your efforts!

    This event marks a significant milestone, not only for Kosovo, but also for the Central Eastern and South-Eastern European region, as we unite under the common goal of enhancing insurance supervision and cross-border cooperation. Since its inception in 2011, the meeting has proven to be an invaluable platform for insurance regulators where they are able to exchange insights, share experiences, and discuss pressing issues on insurance supervision.

    Today, as we meet in Kosovo for the first time, we continue to honour this wonderful tradition of cooperation, knowledge-sharing, but also collegiality. It is a privilege to host such a diverse group of dedicated professionals committed to enhancing supervision and strengthening our regulatory frameworks and ensuring the integrity of our insurance markets.

    This year is particularly special for us; as the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo proudly celebrates its 25th anniversary. Hosting the forum aligns perfectly with our anniversary events and we believe that this occasion resonates with the spirit of our meeting – a celebration of growth, resilience, and commitment to mutual as well as shared values.

    I would like to briefly highlight the significant progress we have made in our insurance sector, particularly through specific reforms which we have successfully implemented with the aim of restoring the financial position of our insurance sector. CBK as regulator and supervisor has successfully addressed serval challenges while implementing prudent measures to resolve those issues and make sure that the sector perform according to the rules and protect the policyholders or beneficiaries and victims.

    Taking into consideration all the important measures we have undertaken, including the strengthening of our regulatory framework, these efforts have paved the way for further growth and sustainability, and an increase of the consumer confidence.

    We are committed to advancing the regulatory and supervisory framework of the Insurance Industry in line with EU standards and best practices.

    We have received the Roadmap for Solvency II from the World Bank, which is an ambitious, challenging, and demanding project. This means we are gradually transitioning from purely compliance-based supervision to prudential risk-based supervision. This transition also involves the introduction of a risk-based supervision manual, with support from the IMF.

    We have received also the roadmap for the IFRS 17. The implementation of the Solvency II and the IFRS 17 in our regional countries can certainly be a significant challenge, for which we will have the support of the World Bank.

    We are working on enhancing the supervision of market conduct among our financial institutions by ensuring the CBK has adequate powers and resources to implement effective oversight. Recently, we established the Consumer Protection Department to improve support for financial consumers. Within this department, we have created a dedicated division focused on market conduct.

    In our sector and in the most jurisdictions in the region, Motor Third Party Liability (MTPL) continues to play a dominant role in the insurance market. While MTPL is essential to provide basic cover and protect consumers from liabilities arising from the use of vehicles, as regulators we recognise the importance of diversifying the insurance portfolio to enhance overall financial stability. We are therefore committed to increasing the share of voluntary non-life and life insurance products.

    Currently, Kosovo is the only European country not a member of the Green Card system, despite our ongoing efforts to gain membership. Therefore, our insurers cannot issue Green Cards and vehicles from most European countries entering Kosovo must purchase border MTPL at the frontier for their stay. Although Kosovo officially applied to join the Green Card system, this application was unsuccessful. While progress has been made in meeting many criteria for membership, Council of Bureaux membership remains the step to be achieved. Addressing this issue is important for improving cross-border insurance coverage, support free move of people and capital and aligning Kosovo with regional insurance standards. Here, dear participants and guest, the support of your institutions and followed countries is needed.

    Our team will provide you with more detailed insights on these developments later today, and I strongly encourage you to engage with them on this important topic.

    As a Central Bank we recognize the importance of strong collaboration with other financial regulators and supervisors. Working together allows us to ensure the stability and security of our financial systems. By coordinating efforts, sharing information, and aligning policies we can better manage risks and support sustainable growth in our economies.   

    And lastly, as we embark on this journey together, let us embrace the opportunities ahead of us. There is an intensive agenda ahead of us, filled with discussions on current challenges in insurance supervision and a vision for our joint future. I encourage each of you to actively engage, share your insights, and build connections that will extend beyond this meeting.

    By working together, we can strengthen our commitment to advance the insurance regulatory and supervisory framework towards a more integrated and resilient financial sector in our region.

    Once again, thank you for being here, and let us make this meeting a success!

    MIL OSI Economics –

  • MIL-OSI: Bybit Card Opens up Pre-registration in New Regions Offering Sign-up Bonus

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bybit, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, expands the global footprint of Bybit Card in collaboration with S1LKPAY, an international payment solution provider. Pre-registration is now open with a $10 bonus in addition to the multiple benefits of the Bybit Card for the first 1,000 applicants. 

    The go-to option for crypto spending for crypto-native users across the world, the Bybit Card has been on an expansion streak. Now spanning across markets including Argentina, Brazil, and the Netherlands, it is trusted for its robust security, excellent customer support, user-friendly and rewarding experience, and ease of access to the Mastercard network. 

    The latest development is led by Bybit Limited, the entity regulated by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), and marks the first branded card issuance by Bybit Limited (AFSA) in collaboration with S1LKPAY, a certified principal member of Mastercard’s payment network and a provider of Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Card-as-a-Service (CaaS), to support the issuance and integration of in-app payment functions for the Bybit Mastercard prepaid card.

    “The past year has seen tremendous growth of the Bybit Card and we are pleased to be able to serve more regions and users from the EEA to South America, bridging their crypto wealth and their payment needs. Spending and growing your crypto has never been so easy with Bybit, and now it comes with a bonus until the official launch,” said Joan Han, Sales and Marketing Director at Bybit. 

    “We are thrilled to announce the launch of the first crypto prepaid card in the region and to partner with Bybit in offering this long-waited solution in its next chapter of card expansion. The partnership provides crypto holders with frictionless access to the Mastercard network anytime, anywhere,” said Gani Uzbekov, Founder and CEO of S1LKPAY.

    Offering a smooth experience for users with digital wealth in their portfolios, the Bybit Card is instrumental in making crypto spending and daily consumption more seamless. It also boasts clear and low fees, generous rewards with up to 10% cashback and 8% APY, and a wide array of tokens supported. The mainstreaming of crypto includes not only crypto as an investment asset class, but also retail use and merchant acceptance. Bybit is committed to refining its products to encourage the adoption of digital assets among everyday users.

    Bybit invites users to get a Bybit Card and enjoy its full benefits: Pre-register for the Bybit Card 

    #Bybit / #TheCryptoArk 

    About Bybit

    Bybit is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, serving over 50 million users. Established in 2018, Bybit provides a professional platform where crypto investors and traders can find an ultra-fast matching engine, 24/7 customer service, and multilingual community support. Bybit is a proud partner of Formula One’s reigning Constructors’ and Drivers’ champions: the Oracle Red Bull Racing team.

    For more details about Bybit, users can visit: Bybit Press 

    For media inquiries, users can contact: media@bybit.com

    For more information, users can visit: https://www.bybit.com

    For updates, users can follow: Bybit’s Communities and Social Media

    Discord | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Reddit | Telegram | TikTok | X | Youtube

    About Mastercard

    Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments and businesses realize their greatest potential. Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

    Mastercard press office in Kazakhstan

    mastercard@pressclub.kz

    Contact

    Head of PR
    Tony Au
    Bybit
    tony.au@bybit.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News Release – October 20 to 26 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    News Release – October 20 to 26 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

    Posted on Oct 21, 2024 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

    KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIA‘ĀINA

    KENNETH S. FINK, MD, MGA, MPH
    DIRECTOR

    KA LUNA HO‘OKELE

     

    OCTOBER 20-26 IS NATIONAL LEAD POISONING PREVENTION WEEK

    Learn how to keep yourself and your keiki safe from lead exposure

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    October 21, 2024                                                                                                    24-137

    HONOLULU — Lead is a toxic metal that is dangerous to health at all ages and there is no safe level of lead in the blood for children. Oct. 20 to 26 is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and this year’s theme is “Bright Futures Begin Lead-Free.” This observation provides an opportunity to learn how to protect your keiki and yourself from exposure to lead and its serious health effects.

    Lead is often present in the paint of older buildings constructed prior to 1978 and can be found in soil, house dust, old toys, jewelry, antiques, souvenirs, fishing tackle, keys, dishes, food, spices, tobacco products and water. Certain work or hobbies can expose you to lead and you can also bring it home on your clothes, shoes, hair and other items.

    Public water systems in Hawaiʻi do not historically have lead contamination; however, it is possible for lead to contaminate drinking water through fixtures and piping in older buildings. In a collaborative project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Hawaiʻi Departments of Health (DOH), Education and Human Services tested drinking water taps for lead in schools and childcare centers and are continuing work to ensure lead is no longer present in taps that showed five parts per billion lead or higher.

    “Keiki are especially susceptible to the effects of lead exposure because they are still in the developmental stages, which can impact both mental and physical development,” said Dr. Ruben Frescas, chief of the DOH Children with Special Health Needs Branch. “They can be exposed to sources of lead in their everyday environment at home and anywhere they play or receive care. With young children who like to play on the ground and put their hands or other objects in their mouths, lead exposure can place these younger keiki at an even higher risk for swallowing lead.”

    In children, lead can cause learning and behavior problems that can result in long-term negative effects throughout adulthood like increased delinquency, lower educational attainment and lower income. In pregnant people, lead can damage a developing baby’s nervous system and has the potential to cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Children tend to show signs of severe lead toxicity at lower exposure levels than adults. However, most children with lead in their blood have no obvious symptoms.

    In adults, exposure to high levels of lead may cause serious health problems like anemia, kidney and brain damage, infertility in men and women, cancer, nerve and hearing damage, and heart disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke is two to five times higher among people with higher blood lead levels, which is comparable to the increased risk from smoking, high cholesterol and hypertension.

    The DOH Hawaiʻi Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (HI-CLPPP) receives funding from the CDC to help the community prevent children from being exposed to lead; to identify children already exposed to lead so the source can be removed; and to link families to recommended services like Early Intervention and in-home residential investigations.

    According to the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children should have a risk assessment for lead exposure at well-child visits and children at increased risk should get a simple blood test for lead. Testing children at 1 and 2 years of age or later if never tested before is required and free with Med-QUEST, the Hawaiʻi Medicaid program. It is okay to test at other times if you or your child’s doctor are concerned about lead exposure.

    “Lead poisoning is completely preventable and the best way to protect children is to keep them away from lead in the environment and get screened,” Frescas said. “Taking a few simple steps today can make a big difference tomorrow and we are here to help our families take those steps.”

    To learn more about how to keep yourself and your keiki safe from lead exposure, visit lead.hawaii.gov.

    # # #

    Media Contact:

    Brandin Shim

    Information Specialist

    Family Health Services Division

    808-586-4120

    [email protected]

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0139/2024

    Source: European Parliament 2

    Nathalie Loiseau, Petras Auštrevičius, Helmut Brandstätter, Benoit Cassart, Olivier Chastel, Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, Bernard Guetta, Karin Karlsbro, Ľubica Karvašová, Marie‑Agnes Strack‑Zimmermann, Hilde Vautmans, Lucia Yar, Dainius Žalimas
    on behalf of the Renew Group

    B10‑0139/2024

    European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

    (2024/2890(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    –  having regard to its previous resolutions on Azerbaijan and on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,

    –  having regard to the relevant documents and international agreements, including but not limited to the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 21 December 1991,

    –  having regard to the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions of the Election Observation Mission to the Early Presidential elections held on 7 February 2024 and to the Statement of Preliminary Findings and Conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission of the Early Parliamentary Elections in Azerbaijan held on 1 September 2024,

    –  having regard to the report of 29 March 2023 by the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance on Azerbaijan and to the memorandum of 21 October 2021 by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights on the humanitarian and human rights consequences following the 2020 outbreak of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh,

    –  having regard to the orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 22 February 2023, of 6 July 2023 and of 17 November 2023 on the request for the indication of provisional measures for the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v Azerbaijan),

    –  having regard to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,

    –  having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas the choice of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku as the venue for the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP29), scheduled to take place from 11 to 22 November 2024, has sparked controversy, notably owing to Azerbaijan’s worsening human rights record, as well as recent and blatant violations of international law, including aggressive behaviour towards its neighbour Armenia; whereas in the lead-up to this major international conference, the Azerbaijani authorities have intensified their repression of civil society organisations, activists, opposition politicians and the remaining independent media through detentions and judicial harassment;

    B. whereas civil society organisations list over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, including Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Tofig Yagublu, Ilhamiz Guliyev, Aziz Orujov, Bahruz Samadov and Akif Gurbanov; whereas there are credible reports of violations of prisoners’ human rights, including detention in inhumane conditions, torture and refusal of adequate medical care;

    C. whereas in recent years, the Azerbaijani authorities have imposed increasingly stringent restrictions on civil society organisations; whereas activists, journalists, political opponents and others have been imprisoned on fabricated and politically motivated charges;

    D. whereas Gubad Ibadoghlu, a political economist, opposition figure and one of the finalists for the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities in July 2023 and remained in detention until 22 April 2024, when he was transferred to house arrest; whereas his health has deteriorated significantly since his arrest, as a result of torture, inhumane detention conditions and refusal of adequate medical care, thus endangering his life; whereas the health of Gubad Ibadoghlu’s wife, Irada Bayramova, continues to deteriorate as a result of the physical violence she suffered during her detention by the Azerbaijani authorities;

    E. whereas the Azerbaijani regime appears to extend its repressive actions beyond its borders; whereas, since 2020, Mahammad Mirzali, an Azerbaijani dissident blogger, has been the target of several assassination attempts in France; whereas, on 29 September 2024, Vidadi Isgandarli, a critic of the Azerbaijani regime living as a political refugee in France, was attacked in his home and succumbed to his injuries two days later; whereas the Azerbaijani authorities have also engaged in politically motivated prosecutions of EU citizens, as seen in the case of Théo Clerc, prompting at least one Member State to formally warn its citizens against travelling to Azerbaijan owing to the risk of arbitrary detention;

    F. whereas according to the Election Observation Mission led by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the early presidential election held on 7 February 2024 took place in a restrictive environment and was marked by the stifling of critical voices and the absence of political alternatives; whereas Azerbaijan held early parliamentary elections on 1 September 2024 in what the OSCE/ODIHR-led International Election Observation Mission described as a restrictive political and legal environment that did not enable genuine pluralism and resulted in a contest devoid of competition; whereas in the period leading up to the parliamentary elections, several government critics were detained;

    G. whereas according to Reporters Without Borders, virtually the entire media sector in Azerbaijan is under official control, with no independent television or radio broadcasts from within the country, and all critical print newspapers shut down; whereas the authorities continue to suppress the last remaining independent media and repress journalists who reject self-censorship;

    H. whereas media legislation in Azerbaijan has become increasingly repressive, with the February 2022 media law effectively legalising censorship; whereas several other laws affecting the media also violate the country’s international obligations with regard to freedom of expression and press freedom; whereas public criticism of the authorities is subject to severe penalties;

    I. whereas in September 2023, after months of the illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan launched a pre-planned, unjustified military attack on the territory, forcing over 100 000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia, which amounts to ethnic cleansing; whereas as a result, Nagorno-Karabakh has been almost entirely emptied of its Armenian population, who had been living there for centuries; whereas this attack represents a gross violation of human rights and international law, a clear breach of the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020 and a failure to uphold commitments made during EU-mediated negotiations;

    J. whereas the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh lost their property and belongings while fleeing the Azerbaijani military push in 2023 and have been unable to recover them since; whereas actions amounting to ethnic cleansing have continued since then; whereas the EU has provided humanitarian aid to people displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh; whereas credible reports confirm the organised destruction of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; whereas Azerbaijani leaders and officials repeatedly use hate speech against Armenians;

    K. whereas both Azerbaijan and Armenia are bound by international humanitarian law and the Third Geneva Convention protects prisoners of war from all forms of torture and cruel treatment; whereas reports indicate that 23 Armenian prisoners are currently being held in Azerbaijani prisons, including eight former leaders of the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, some of whom have received long prison sentences;

    L. whereas in February 2023, the EU deployed the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) to observe developments at the international border with Azerbaijan; whereas Azerbaijan has refused to cooperate with EUMA and the mission has been the target of disinformation by Azerbaijani authorities and government-controlled media; whereas Azerbaijan occupies territories internationally recognised as Armenian;

    M. whereas Armenia and Azerbaijan have engaged in negotiations on a peace treaty, the normalisation of their relations and border delimitation, both before and after the 2023 attack on Nagorno-Karabakh; whereas, despite mediation efforts by the EU and others, no peace agreement has been signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia; whereas, although both governments have stated that they are close to an agreement, recent remarks by the Azerbaijani President indicate that Baku is not eager to conclude the negotiations;

    N. whereas the EU fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia and actively supports efforts towards a sustainable peace agreement between the two countries, achieved by peaceful means and respecting the rights of the population concerned;

    O. whereas since Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Azerbaijan has deepened its relations with Russia, including political and economic ties, as well as increased cooperation between their intelligence services; whereas Russia has openly backed Azerbaijan in its aggressive behaviour towards Armenia; whereas there are worrying reports of Russian gas being rebranded as Azerbaijani for sale in the EU;

    P. whereas Azerbaijani leaders have engaged in anti-EU and anti-Western rhetoric; whereas Azerbaijan has intensified its disinformation campaigns targeting the EU and its Member States, with a specific focus on France; whereas Azerbaijan has actively interfered in European politics under the guise of ‘anti-colonialism’, notably in overseas countries and territories such as New Caledonia;

    1. Strongly condemns the domestic and extraterritorial repression by the Azerbaijani regime against activists, journalists, opposition leaders and others, including EU nationals, which has noticeably intensified ahead of COP29; urges the Azerbaijani authorities to release all persons arbitrarily detained or imprisoned on account of their political views, to drop all politically motivated charges, and to cease all forms of repression, both within and beyond Azerbaijan;

    2. Reiterates its call for the Azerbaijani authorities to lift the travel ban and drop all charges against Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu; calls on Azerbaijan to ensure that he receives an independent medical examination by a doctor of his own choosing and to allow him to receive treatment abroad;

    3. Expresses deep concern about the choice of Baku as the host city for COP29, given Azerbaijan’s flagrant violations of fundamental rights, democracy and international law; considers that Azerbaijan’s ongoing human rights abuses are incompatible with its hosting of COP29; urges the EU to use COP29 as an opportunity for the international community to remind Azerbaijan of its international obligations and to condemn and meaningfully address the country’s human rights record in their interactions with the Azerbaijani authorities;

    4. Demands that the organisers of COP29 ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully enshrined and guaranteed in the Host Country Agreement; calls for the EU and its Member States to do their utmost to ensure that United Nations Climate Change Conferences are not hosted in countries with poor human rights records;

    5. Reminds the Azerbaijani authorities of their obligations to respect fundamental freedoms, and calls on them to repeal repressive legislation that drives independent non-governmental organisations and media to the margins of the law; reminds the Azerbaijani Government of its international obligations to safeguard the dignity and rights of detainees, ensuring that they receive adequate medical care, are detained in humane conditions and are protected from any mistreatment;

    6. Reiterates its call for EU sanctions to be imposed under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime on Azerbaijani officials who have committed serious human rights violations;

    7. Insists that any future partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan be made conditional on the release of all political prisoners, the implementation of legal reforms, and the overall improvement of the human rights situation in the country;

    8. Calls on the EU Special Representative for Human Rights to request meetings with political prisoners in Azerbaijan;

    9. Reaffirms its support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Azerbaijan and Armenia; reiterates its demand for the withdrawal of Azerbaijan’s troops from the entirety of Armenia’s sovereign territory; calls on Azerbaijan to unequivocally commit to respecting Armenia’s territorial integrity;

    10. Expresses its support for the activities of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) and underscores the important role it plays; reiterates its concern regarding the repeated smear campaigns originating from Azerbaijan against EUMA; calls on EUMA to continue to closely monitor the evolving security situation on the ground, provide transparent reporting to Parliament and actively contribute to conflict resolution efforts; calls for the EU and its Member States to strengthen EUMA’s mandate, increase its size and extend its duration;

    11. Urges Azerbaijan and Armenia to promptly sign a peace treaty – before COP29 – in order to resolve their long-lasting disputes; warns Azerbaijan that any military action against Armenia would be unacceptable and would have serious consequences for the partnership between Azerbaijan and the EU;

    12. Calls for the full implementation of all orders issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), including the 17 November 2023 order indicating provisional measures regarding the safe, unimpeded and expeditious return of people who fled Nagorno-Karabakh; recalls that the decision to host COP29 in Baku was made after Azerbaijan failed to comply with the abovementioned ICJ order as well as those of 7 December 2021 and of 22 February 2023; reiterates its call on the Azerbaijani authorities to allow the safe return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh, to provide robust guarantees for the protection of their rights and to refrain from any inflammatory rhetoric that could incite discrimination against Armenians; urges the Azerbaijani authorities to release all 23 Armenian prisoners of war detained following Azerbaijan’s retaking of the Nagorno-Karabakh region;

    13. Reiterates its call for the EU institutions and the Member States to continue to offer assistance to Armenia to deal with the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh;

    14. Expresses deep concern regarding the preservation of cultural, religious and historical heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh following the massive exodus of its Armenian population; urges Azerbaijan to refrain from further destruction, neglect or alteration of the origins of cultural, religious, or historical heritage in the region;

    15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Armenia, the Director-General of UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations and the Council of Europe.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0136/2024

    Source: European Parliament 2

    Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Udo Bullmann, Raphaël Glucksmann, Francisco Assis
    on behalf of the S&D Group

    B10‑0136/2024

    European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

    (2024/2980(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan, in particular those of 20 May 2021 on prisoners of war in the aftermath of the most recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan[1], of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh[2], of 19 January 2023 on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh[3], of 14 September 2023 on the case of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, imprisoned in Azerbaijan[4], of 13 March 2024 on closer ties between the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia[5], and of 25 April 2024 on Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev[6],

    – having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement of 22 April 1996 between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part,

    – having regard to the joint statement of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 7 December 2023,

    – having regard to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas from 11 to 22 November 2024 Azerbaijan will host the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29); whereas respect for fundamental human rights and civil society participation are enshrined in the host country agreement through which the Azerbaijani Government committed to uphold these rights;

    B. whereas for more than a decade and with increasing determination Azerbaijani authorities have been reducing space for civil society, arbitrarily closing down non-governmental organisations and arresting or forcing into exile civil society representatives;

    C. whereas since the announcement that Azerbaijan would host COP29, control of critical voices has increased, resulting in the arrest, arbitrary detention and prosecution of civil society activists, journalists and media workers, including foreign journalists;

    D. whereas an estimated 300 people are currently being detained on politically motivated charges, including human rights defenders, journalists, academics, peaceful protesters, lawyers and political and other activists; whereas they are being held in conditions that do not meet international human rights standards and they are often denied access to their family members, lawyers and adequate medical care;

    E. whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided in January 2024 not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation, noting its ‘very serious concerns as to …[Azerbaijan’s] respect for human rights’; whereas the PACE noted that its Monitoring Committee’s rapporteurs were not allowed to meet with people who had been detained on allegedly politically motivated charges, and that the Azerbaijani delegation refused to allow the rapporteur for the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to visit the country;

    F. whereas Azerbaijan has implemented a systematic policy of bribing officials and elected representatives in Europe in order to downplay Azerbaijan’s human rights record and to silence critics, as part of a widely used strategy described as ‘caviar diplomacy’; whereas some cases have been investigated and some of those involved have been prosecuted and convicted by national courts in several EU Member States;

    G. whereas Azerbaijan has been actively involved in destabilisation campaigns against the national politics of Member States, as recently observed and well-documented in New Caledonia, where it has conducted disinformation operations and provided support for rioters;

    H. whereas on 3 July 2024, the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) publicly denounced Azerbaijan’s ‘refusal to improve the situation in the light of the Committee’s recommendations’ and the ‘persistent lack of cooperation of the Azerbaijani authorities with the CPT’,

    I. whereas Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, a renowned political economist, anti-corruption activist and chairperson of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Movement, who is due to start his visiting scholarship at Technische Universität in Dresden, was arbitrarily detained on 23 July 2023, kept in prison on dubious charges with limited contact with his family and lawyer and reportedly subjected to inhumane treatment; whereas since Parliament’s resolutions of 14 September 2023 and 25 April 2024, his health has further deteriorated due to the inadequate treatment of his serious medical condition, poor detention conditions and inhumane treatment; whereas on 22 April 2024 Dr Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest, where he is being kept under constant police surveillance without being allowed to communicate with doctors, while his health condition still gives rise to serious concerns for his life; whereas on 17 October 2024 Dr Ibadoghlu was shortlisted for the 2024 Sakharov Prize;

    J. whereas on 4 December 2023 human rights activist Ilhamiz Guliyev was arrested on politically motivated charges a few months after he gave an anonymous interview to AbzasMedia about the alleged police practice of planting drugs on political activists;

    K. whereas charges have been brought against numerous independent journalists who remain in prison or in pre-trial detention, while independent media outlets such as AbzasMedia, Kanal 13, Toplum TV and others have been shut down after key members of their staff were arrested on politically motivated charges;

    L. whereas Dr Ibadoghlu’s research found that Azerbaijan was highly unlikely to be able to increase its natural gas production sufficiently in order to fulfil its promise to provide gas to the EU as set out in the strategic partnership for energy; whereas Azerbaijan’s increased Russian gas imports are a cause for concern as to whether Azerbaijan can replace Russia as a gas supplier, as Baku, unable to meet European demand, may relabel Russian gas as Azerbaijani for European consumption;

    M. whereas on 19 September 2023 Azerbaijan launched an unjustified attack against Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in several hundred casualties, the death of civilians, and the majority of the population fleeing from their homes; whereas this forced displacement of the population and offensive against the civilian population represent a de facto ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh and gross violations of international law and human rights, which may amount to crimes against humanity;

    N. whereas in December 2023 a joint statement of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan brought about the release of 32 Armenian prisoners of war, expressed the commitment of both countries to continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence-building measures, and called on the international community to support their efforts that would contribute to building mutual trust between the two countries and positively impact the entire South Caucasus region;

    1. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the country ahead of COP29 and to show its commitment to fundamental rights and to fundamental principles of democracy, justice, the rule of law and human dignity;

    2. Denounces the reported violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, the reprisals against human rights defenders and journalists, the widespread violations of the right to a fair trial, and the abuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes;

    3. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all human rights defenders, activists, journalists and government critics imprisoned in retaliation for their human rights work and dissenting views; demands that freedom of the press and expression be guaranteed and that media organisations not be restricted; calls, therefore, on the Azerbaijani Government to release journalists working for AbzasMedia, including Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifqizi, and Alasgar Mammadli who works for Toplum TV;

    4. Deplores the crackdown on civil society, as documented by Amnesty International, around major international events hosted by Azerbaijan, including Eurovision 2012 and the 2015 European Games;

    5. Takes note of the statements of the electoral observation mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, according to which Azerbaijan’s presidential and early parliamentary elections of February and September 2024 did not offer voters genuine political alternatives and took place within a legal framework that overly restricted fundamental freedoms and the media;

    6. Reiterates its grave concern over the detention of anti-corruption activist and academic Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, who was held in pre-trial detention for almost one year despite his deteriorating health, moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 and continues to be deprived of liberty, and who is not allowed to leave Azerbaijan to receive the medical care he requires; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and on the Member States to actively call for the release of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against him, release him immediately from house arrest and allow him to leave the country on humanitarian grounds to receive urgently needed medical treatment abroad;

    7. Expresses its concern over the case of Anar Mammadli, a prominent human rights defender and climate advocate, who was arrested on 29 April 2024 and placed in pre-trial detention, and who faces charges of conspiracy in apparent retaliation for his criticism of the government and his activism; calls for his release from prison;

    8. Deplores the arbitrary detention of human rights defender Ilhamiz Guliyev and opposition leader Tofig Yagublu and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

    9. Calls for the EU and its Member States to impose targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights violations and systematic repression against civil society in Azerbaijan, as well as on Azerbaijani officials responsible for the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh;

    10. Reiterates its call for independent investigations into the abuses committed by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh that could amount to war crimes; calls, further, on the Azerbaijani authorities to allow the safe return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh and to offer solid promises regarding the protection of their rights and protection from intimidation and discrimination, guaranteed and monitored by an international presence;

    11. Highlights the importance of providing continuous support to the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who were displaced in September 2023 and beforehand through direct humanitarian aid and budget support for the Armenian Government; calls for the EU, in this regard, to provide a new package of assistance to Armenia to help the Armenian Government address the humanitarian needs of refugees;

    12. Calls on the Azerbaijani Government to immediately and unconditionally release all remaining Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and captives, and to ensure transparency regarding the situation of detainees from Nagorno-Karabakh;

    13. Strongly condemns the destruction of Armenian cultural, religious and historical heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; calls on Azerbaijan to refrain from destroying this heritage in the region and calls for the protection of this heritage in line with UNESCO standards, including through the authorisation of a UNESCO mission to the area;

    14. Calls for thorough investigations into serious risks of Russian gas laundering through Azerbaijan and into the Azerbaijani authorities’ facilitation of Russia’s circumvention of EU sanctions, which would severely contradict EU foreign policy objectives; calls on the Council to systematically tackle the circumvention of sanctions by non-EU states; calls on the Council to design a new horizontal sanctions regime to counter this circumvention, which will require a more general and holistically applicable instrument to target circumvention in all regimes implemented by the EU;

    15. Insists that any partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan – including on energy – must have strong conditions attached on the respect of international law, fundamental rights and international obligations, in particular on Azerbaijan making substantial progress towards a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement with Armenia; calls on the Commission, consequently, to urgently assess and review the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy and to act accordingly;

    16. Calls on the VP/HR to suspend the negotiations for a renewed partnership agreement until Azerbaijan has demonstrated its genuine readiness to faithfully engage in the negotiation of a peace agreement with Armenia and to respect the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians;

    17. Confirms its full and strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan; condemns any military aggression, use of force or hybrid threats against Armenia, as well as foreign interference and attempts to destabilise the political situation in Armenia; welcomes the assistance measures under the European Peace Facility in support of the Armenian armed forces and calls for the cooperation between Armenia and the EU to be further reinforced in security and defence; welcomes the actions undertaken by several Member States to provide defensive military support to Armenia and urges the Member States to consider similar initiatives;

    18. Urges Azerbaijan and Armenia to advance towards full normalisation of their relations on all pending issues and to promptly conclude a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement; calls on Azerbaijan to demonstrate genuine efforts to this end and invites the VP/HR to continue to support efforts towards a comprehensive peace treaty;

    19. Welcomes the joint Armenia-Azerbaijan statement of 7 December 2023 on confidence-building measures; firmly believes that such measures can benefit the overall peace process and pave the way for increased trust between the two sides; welcomes the progress made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process, which has led to an agreement on several sections of the border; encourages both sides to take further steps on the remaining sections;

    20. Calls on EU and Member State officials and elected representatives taking part in COP29 in Baku not to turn a blind eye to human rights violations in the country and to use the momentum of the conference to increase diplomatic pressure on the Azerbaijani regime to respect fundamental rights and freedoms, release all political prisoners and return Armenian hostages;

    21. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Armenia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: A facility for fairness

    Source: European Investment Bank

    In the Western Balkans, women face unfair treatment in the job market. Over half the productive potential of women aged between 15 and 64 remains untapped, according to a report by the Regional Cooperation Council.

    This is mostly due to social norms, lack of childcare facilities, and the traditional distribution of household roles. Women’s employment rates in the region are consistently below those of the European Union, with high informal employment. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, men are on average paid 37.8% more than women, and 15.8% more in North Macedonia.

    Difficulties women face on the labour market vary depending on the industry, but the construction sector  is particularly challenging due to long working hours and physically demanding conditions. With over 150 employees, the Belgrade company RAS Inžinjering is looking to address these issues with its inclusivity practices.

    “In our company,” says Executive Director Vuk Vujović, “we have been traditionally employing women in administration, bookkeeping, and financial departments, as well as for warehouse and human resources operations. They primarily held office-based positions.”

    “However, since some five to six years ago, we began hiring female construction engineers. And now, when bringing on new engineers, we strive to maintain a balanced ratio of men and women.”

    The construction sector is also unique for its highly flexible payment-due dates, often extending up to four months. Additionally, the prices of construction materials can fluctuate significantly in the market, impacting the cost of projects that may take two to three years to complete. Without access to bank credit lines or sufficient internal resources, a company may struggle to complete a project.

    “Since we are already fostering inclusivity practices, our motivation for applying for this loan was to further develop these efforts, while reducing costs, effectively aligning value with purpose.”

    For each new employee, the company assigns an experienced mentor to guide them through processes and oversee their career development. It also promotes open-door communication between staff and management at all levels, ensuring efficient problem-solving.

    “Owing to our reputation, extensive portfolio of projects and employee relations practices, people are eager to work for our company and apply to our job postings,” Vujović says.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Critical assessment of the vaccination campaigns and claims of a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’ in view of RKI minutes from during the COVID-19 pandemic – E-002005/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-002005/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Christine Anderson (ESN)

    Statements setting out measures under the vaccination campaigns made much of the effectiveness of the vaccines and the notion of a ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’. However, internal minutes from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) show that the virus was problematic for the unvaccinated too and that the effectiveness of the vaccine varied depending on the variant.

    • 1.How was information on the vaccination campaign exchanged between the Commission and Member States, and did the RKI and the Commission come to an agreement?
    • 2.Is the Commission aware of the content of the RKI minutes and were these minutes critically scrutinised and reviewed after they were published?
    • 3.What steps are being taken to retrospectively evaluate the effectiveness of the vaccination campaigns, and how is the Commission planning on fully restoring the good name of campaign critics who faced punishments such as career setbacks and social ostracism?

    Submitted: 9.10.2024

    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Are our future trade relations with China dependent on its ties to Russia? – E-001983/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Question for written answer  E-001983/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Mathilde Androuët (PfE)

    Beijing has lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization against the EU’s customs duties for Chinese car manufacturers following an anti-subsidy investigation.

    By way of appeasement, the Commission announced on 20 August 2024 that the duties could be lowered[1]. The Commission is also concerned about the threat of countermeasures on EU brandy[2], and China’s anti-dumping investigations into EU pork and dairy exports, which it ‘will challenge vigorously in all available venues’[3].

    On 13 September 2024, Josep Borrell, Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, explained that ‘the Union is determined to continue to trade with China’ and to ‘avoid a trade war’, but that ‘future relations with China will also depend on how it behaves with regard to the Ukrainian conflict’, as ‘our greatest concern and geopolitical threat is Russia’[4].

    In the Commission’s view, will the scope and volume of our trade with China, and the activation of mechanisms to protect our industries, depend in future on Beijing hypothetically distancing itself from Moscow?

    Submitted: 8.10.2024

    • [1] ‘EU lowers tariffs on China-made EVs, signals softening trade stance’, Thomas Moller‑Nielsen, Euractiv, 21 August 2024.
    • [2] ‘China holds off on EU brandy tariffs but alleges dumping and damage’, Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro, Euractiv, 29 August 2024.
    • [3] ‘L’UE saisit l’OMC contre une enquête chinoise visant ses produits laitiers’ (L’Opinion with AFP), 23 September 2024.
    • [4] ‘Borrell: riformare l’Unione è difficile ma inevitabile’, Euractiv Italia, 13 September 2024, https://euractiv.it/section/mondo/interview/borrell-riformare-lunione-e-difficile-ma-inevitabile/.
    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Iran’s use of criminal networks as terrorist proxies in Europe – E-002059/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    14.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002059/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Tomas Tobé (PPE)

    The Iranian regime’s use of criminal networks as terrorist proxies in Europe poses a grave threat to our internal security.

    The Swedish Security Service confirmed earlier this year that the Iranian regime has been using criminal networks in Sweden to carry out violent acts against other states, groups, or individuals in Sweden that Iran regards as threats[1]. Similar reports have been made in several other European countries[2].

    Iran’s hostile activities abroad are not a new phenomenon. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for the EU to take action against the Iranian regime, including by adding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the EU terrorist list[3].

    However, it is clear that further measures are needed at EU level to target the links between the Iranian regime and criminal networks that operate across borders in Europe.

    In view of the above:

    What action does the Commission intend to take to help Member States prevent, avert, and reduce the possibility of Iran and other hostile state actors carrying out security-threatening activities in the EU?

    Submitted: 14.10.2024

    • [1] https://sakerhetspolisen.se/ovriga-sidor/other-languages/english-engelska/press-room/news/news/2024-05-30-iran-is-using-criminal-networks-in-sweden.html
    • [2] https://www.counterterrorismgroup.com/post/psa-iran-using-organized-criminal-gangs-in-sweden-as-proxies-to-attack-israeli-and-jewish-targets-p
    • [3] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0382_EN.html
    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Poland’s announcement of the suspension of the right to asylum – P-002141/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    17.10.2024

    Priority question for written answer  P-002141/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Tineke Strik (Verts/ALE), Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE), Damian Boeselager (Verts/ALE), Anna Strolenberg (Verts/ALE), Saskia Bricmont (Verts/ALE), Leoluca Orlando (Verts/ALE)

    Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently announced the temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum in Poland as part of a new migration strategy[1].

    • 1.How does the Commission view the legality of the territorial suspension of the right to asylum announced by Poland in light of the EU acquis relating to asylum and the Schengen area, which requires Member States to grant access to asylum procedures, including at the border, and in light of the right to asylum enshrined in Article 18 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the principle of non-refoulement?
    • 2.Can the Commission confirm that the suspension announced by Poland violates the above-mentioned provisions and that it will take firm action to prevent the suspension from going through, including, if needed, through an infringement action with an application for interim measures?
    • 3.Given the current political debates on migration in some Member States, does the Commission agree that not taking action to address this violation of the right to asylum carries a real risk that other Member States will follow suit, leading to a further deterioration in respect for the EU acquis?

    Submitted: 17.10.2024

    • [1] https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-donald-tusk-asylum-right-border-migration-belarus-russia-hybrid-war-eu/.
    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Liability of online marketplaces – E-002044/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    14.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002044/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Christel Schaldemose (S&D)

    Temu is classified as a very large online platform under the Digital Services Act. What checks has the Commission carried out to make sure that Temu is genuinely an online marketplace (such marketplaces being ‘providers of online platforms allowing consumers to conclude distance contracts with producers’) and does not itself buy and resell the products sold on the platform?

    It is important to clarify this question, given that Temu, which is established in Ireland, would be regarded as an economic operator (importer or producer) under product and environmental legislation if it actually bought, owned and resold the products ‘intermediated’ via its own website.

    Submitted: 14.10.2024

    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Enquiry into the feasibility of building a new express road as part of the TEN-T network – E-002066/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    14.10.2024

    Question for written answer  E-002066/2024
    to the Commission
    Rule 144
    Piotr Müller (ECR), Kosma Złotowski (ECR)

    The Pomorskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie provinces have growing economic potential, but their continued development requires modern road infrastructure.

    The construction of a new express road linking Słupsk, Bytów, Chojnice and Bydgoszcz, with a variant starting in Ustka, would bring a number of benefits: reduced travel time, improved safety and increased comfort of travel. The investment would have a positive impact on economic development, tourism and traffic management, especially in terms of environmentally friendly solutions. Preparations for the construction of the new road should start now so that construction can begin in the next few years. The S6 expressway is currently nearing completion. There is therefore a real opportunity to get a new project under way now.

    Therefore, it is of crucial importance to examine the possibility of including the project in the TEN-T network and to apply for EU support. In this connection:

    • 1.Could this project be included in the TEN-T network as part of the Baltic-Adriatic Corridor, given the importance of such a road for improving regional cohesion and economic development in the Pomorskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie provinces and for strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion between the north and south of the EU?
    • 2.In the Commission’s view, is this project eligible to receive EU funds?
    • 3.Would the carrying out of a ‘corridor study’ be useful in helping the Commission reach a decision in this matter?

    Submitted: 14.10.2024

    Last updated: 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the urgent need to revise the Medical Devices Regulation – RC-B10-0123/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Peter Liese
    on behalf of the PPE Group
    Tiemo Wölken
    on behalf of the S&D Group
    Ondřej Knotek
    on behalf of the PfE Group
    Ruggero Razza
    on behalf of the ECR Group
    Andreas Glück
    on behalf of the Renew Group
    Ignazio Roberto Marino
    on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

    European Parliament resolution on the urgent need to revise the Medical Devices Regulation

    (2024/2849(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 168 thereof,

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/745 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on medical devices, amending Directive 2001/83/EC, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 and repealing Council Directives 90/385/EEC and 93/42/EEC[1] (MDR),

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/746 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2017 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices and repealing Directive 98/79/EC and Commission Decision 2010/227/EU[2] (IVDR),

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2023/607 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2023 amending Regulations (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2017/746 as regards the transitional provisions for certain medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices[3],

    – having regard to Regulation (EU) 2020/561[4], Regulation (EU) 2022/112[5], Regulation (EU) 2023/607[6] and Regulation (EU) 2024/1860[7] extending the implementation periods of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and Regulation (EU) 2017/746,

    – having regard to the Commission’s proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) 2017/745 and (EU) 2017/746 as regards the transitional provisions for certain medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices (COM(2023)0010),

    – having regard to the European Medicines Agency’s 2023 Annual Report and its review on market access and safety concerns for medical devices,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices play a crucial role in high-quality healthcare, directly affecting the health, safety and well-being of millions of patients across the EU;

    B. whereas approximately 500 000 different medical devices are available on the EU market, covering a broad range of technologies, from contact lenses to pacemakers, and serving different purposes, including diagnosis, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and improving the quality of life of patients and the work of healthcare professionals and carers;

    C. whereas disparities in access to medical devices persist across Member States, affecting patient care and leading to health inequalities; whereas such disparities underscore the need for improved availability and affordability of crucial devices;

    D. whereas the MDR and IVDR were adopted to strengthen the regulatory framework for medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices, as a response to several high-profile scandals with unsafe medical equipment, with the purpose of ensuring higher standards of safety, transparency and clinical performance while also fostering innovation in the sector;

    E. whereas the MDR and IVDR introduced more robust requirements for clinical evaluations, post-market surveillance and vigilance reporting, promoting transparency in the approval and monitoring processes;

    F. whereas despite these aims, significant challenges have been encountered in implementing the MDR and the IVDR, not only leading to delays but also resulting in failures to achieve certification and approval of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices, particularly impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as resulting in shortages of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices, thus restricting patient access to innovative and life-saving therapeutic and diagnostic technologies;

    G. whereas many stakeholders, in particular small and medium-sized manufacturers, notified bodies and healthcare providers, have reported difficulties in navigating the complex regulatory procedures under the current MDR and IVDR framework, with potential risks posed to the continuous availability of life-saving medical devices and critical in vitro diagnostic tests in the EU;

    H. whereas the transitional periods for the implementation of the MDR and IVDR have been extended on numerous occasions to address issues including the capacity of notified bodies and to allow industry more time to adapt to new rules in order to prevent devices being withdrawn from the EU market;

    I. whereas due to a lack of harmonised procedures across notified bodies in the EU, among other things, manufacturers can in some instances face unpredictable timelines for certification and market access, which creates unpredictability, alongside inconsistency in decisions and a lack of transparency in relation to the work of the notified bodies;

    J. whereas there is a need for the regulatory frameworks to better accommodate innovative devices that address unmet medical needs and provide better prioritisation and fast-track pathways;

    K. whereas the Commission initiated non-legislative actions to support the transition to the MDR and IVDR, focusing in particular on the availability of medical devices on the market, the preparedness of notified bodies, the development of orphan and paediatric devices, SME support and the waiving of fees for scientific advice in critical areas where, despite these measures, financial and administrative challenges persist, particularly in the orphan and paediatric sectors;

    L. whereas the deadlines for implementing the MDR and IVDR have been extended multiple times to help the industry adapt to new regulations, to prevent market withdrawals and to ensure the continuous supply of devices; whereas these extensions were critical in maintaining public health protection during the COVID-19 pandemic;

    M. whereas since the adoption of the MDR and IVDR, the Commission has also introduced new provisions regarding the European Database on Medical Devices (EUDAMED) and a notification system for market interruptions or supply discontinuation;

    N. whereas it is important to ensure that patients and healthcare professionals have access to all relevant documents and decisions taken by the notified bodies;

    1. Calls on the Commission to propose, by the end of Q1 2025, delegated and implementing acts to the MDR and the IVDR to address the most pressing challenges and bottlenecks in the implementation of the legislative frameworks and to propose the systematic revision of all relevant articles of these regulations, accompanied by an impact assessment, to be conducted as soon as possible;

    2. Calls on the Commission to make full use of legislative and non-legislative tools to resolve issues of divergent interpretation and of practical application to streamline the regulatory process, improve transparency, and eliminate unnecessary administrative work for notified bodies and manufacturers, particularly SMEs, without compromising patient safety;

    3. Deplores the risk of shortages of medical devices and the lack of access to certain medical devices and in vitro diagnostics in parts of the EU; stresses that access to and quality of healthcare, including medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, should not depend on where in the EU a patient is located;

    4. Encourages the notified bodies to ensure that there are sufficient resources to meet the market demand in a timely manner; in this regard, calls on the Commission and the Member States to enhance support and cooperation to ensure that the notified bodies have the optimal capacities and capabilities to fully implement the regulatory framework;

    5. Advocates the creation of transparent and binding timelines, including clock stops for procedural steps in conformity assessment by notified bodies, thus creating predictability and certainty for manufacturers regarding the market access procedure and its duration within the EU;

    6. Calls for transparency in notified bodies’ fees and fee structures, to allow economic operators to compare notified bodies and make informed choices, ensuring that fees remain a fair compensation for the public service provided;

    7. Stresses the need to eliminate the unnecessary re-certification of products, and underlines that certain product updates or adjustments should not necessarily lead to an entire re-certification of the product; stresses the need to harmonise such provisions and ensure consistency across the EU; calls for cooperation between the competent authorities and advisory bodies responsible for other regulatory frameworks, and stresses the need for products to be classified correctly and consistently;

    8. Strongly calls on the Commission to consider fast-track and prioritisation pathways for the approval of innovative technologies in areas of unmet medical need and for devices linked to health emergencies;

    9. Highlights the need to establish a clear working definition of ‘orphan device’, as determined by the Medical Device Coordination Group in the MDR and IVDR, to facilitate the adoption of harmonised measures across the EU; additionally calls for a robust system to prevent misuse through artificial ‘orphanisation’;

    10.  Calls for the introduction of adapted rules for orphan and paediatric medical devices, without compromising patient safety, and emphasises the need for more efficient conformity assessment procedures tailored to medical devices and in vitro diagnostics serving relatively small markets, such as products for the treatment of children or rare diseases;

    11. Calls on the Commission to facilitate the collection of clinical data from existing national registries for small patient groups treated or diagnosed with orphan and paediatric devices, in compliance with the protection of personal data; recognises the challenges faced by various SMEs in adapting to the legal frameworks; invites the Member States and the Commission to develop specific measures to support SMEs, including the provision of model application documents and forms, regulatory guidance and other assistance to reduce the costs and complexity of the regulatory frameworks;

    12. Calls on the Commission to continuously monitor the availability of devices, particularly the last remaining devices of particular types, and to take appropriate action to keep them available in the EU market; in this regard, calls for an urgent full implementation of EUDAMED, which will enable information about medical devices and manufacturers to be processed to enhance transparency, provide better access to information for the public and healthcare professionals, and enhance coordination between Member States;

    13. Emphasises that any new rules or changes to existing rules must come with an appropriate transition period to allow all stakeholders sufficient time to adjust to the changes;

    14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Dame Diana Johnson speech on tackling anti-social behaviour

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Crime and Policing Minister spoke at the Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour Conference on 22 October 2024.

    Location:
    Online
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    Good morning, it is a real privilege to be speaking at this event and to be amongst a group so incredibly passionate about addressing anti-social behaviour at a national and local level.  

    I can see we have a variety of professionals on the call and wanted to take this opportunity, firstly, to express my sincere gratitude for your continued efforts to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour. Each and every one of you is equally important to this government’s mission to crack down on anti-social behaviour and to take back our streets.  

    Having spent a lot of time asking the department challenging questions on how the government is tackling ASB as Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, it is an honour to have the opportunity of working with you now to deliver real change across the country and ensure that communities feel safe, secure and are able to thrive.  

    Anti-social behaviour is not merely a low-level nuisance. It hits the poorest and most vulnerable communities hardest and, if left unchecked, leads to more serious offending – and I know this very well as a constituency MP in Hull. 

    Everyone involved in this conference has a wealth of knowledge, insight and expertise that will help us deliver this mission. 

    I’d now like to set out how I envisage this approach, the strategies we will be implementing and the importance of restoring public trust in both policing and local partners to create real, impactful change.  

    Cracking down on anti-social behaviour is a top priority for this government, and a key part of our Safer Streets Mission.    

    Too many town centres and high streets across the country have been gripped by an epidemic of anti-social behaviour, theft and shoplifting, which is corroding our communities and cannot be allowed to continue. 

    Currently, the powers in the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 do not go far enough to tackle anti-social behaviour. We will crack down on those causing havoc on our high streets by legislating to ensure that anti-social behaviour powers are as effective as possible to tackle repeat offending, in addition to tackling the plague of shoplifting that blights so many areas.  

    This is why we will be introducing Respect Orders to tackle the worst ASB offenders and stamp out issues such as public drinking and drug use to ensure that our communities are free from harm and nuisance.  

    The Respect Order will help ensure that persistent adult offenders of ASB are banned from public areas where they are causing harm to our communities. 

    It is, of course, for local areas to decide how best to deploy these powers depending on the specific circumstances. They are best placed to understand what is driving the behaviour in question, the impact that it is having, and to determine the most appropriate response.  

    Shoplifting is at a record high and continues to increase at an unacceptable level – and I saw this for myself when visiting my local Co-op in Hull, while I was in store shoplifting took place, with a holdall being filled with meat and the thief then walking out. 

    More and more offenders are using violence and abuse against shopworkers to do this. It’s damaging business and hurting our communities. It’s vital people feel safe out in their local shops and on their high streets.  

    And I welcome operational commitments that police made in the Retail Crime Action Plan last October, and there are positive outcomes already. But there is much more to do.    

    So we are going to bring back neighbourhood policing, ensuring thousands of additional officers are out patrolling towns and communities as part of our mission to make streets safer.  

    We will also end the effective immunity, introduced by the previous government, granted to low level shoplifting of goods under £200 to remove the perception that those committing low value shop theft will escape punishment. We will introduce a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores. This is long overdue.   

    Now turning to anti-social behaviour involving vehicles such as off-road bikes, motorbikes and e-scooters – they cause untold nuisance and misery for communities. We want to make it easier for the police to take illegal, dangerous and vehicle-related ASB off the streets for good, and quickly destroy vehicles that they seize from offenders.   

    I want to just turn to recent trends in anti-social behaviour. 

    In the year ending March 2024, the Crime Survey of England and Wales showed that around 35% of respondents personally witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour in their local area.  

    Groups hanging around on the streets, vehicle-related ASB and people using or dealing drugs were the most common types of anti-social behaviour reported.  

    Now this is a statistic that we must aim to significantly reduce through consistent join up of police and local partners.  

    ​We also know that ASB is under reported to the police and other agencies. Either because people don’t know how to report it or because they feel it will not be taken seriously or addressed.  

    A survey conducted in 2023 by YouGov on behalf of Resolve found that over 58% of victims or witnesses don’t report anti-social behaviour.   

    The most common reasons for not reporting an incident was a feeling it was too trivial, not worth reporting and not thinking that it would be taken seriously, and I know, because my constituents have told me, that they often don’t report incidents because they feel that nobody cares and nothing is done. 

    We need to change that. No victim of anti-social behaviour should feel that their issues will not be taken seriously or isn’t worth reporting.  

    And I look forward to the annual ASB Awareness Week run by Resolve that is taking place from 18-24 November. The theme is ‘Making Communities Safer’. This will be a brilliant opportunity to raise awareness of what anti-social behaviour is and to promote the ASB Case Review, a mechanism which gives victims of repeated ASB the ability to request a formal case review where a locally defined threshold is met.  

    It is vitally important that we place focus on helping the victims of ASB. 

    ASB often affects the most vulnerable in our society, and we will work to ensure that the police, local authorities and local agencies, in addition to the tools and powers available to them to tackle ASB, are also aware of the support available to victims of ASB.   

    I now want to turn to national strategies to invest in communities and prevent ASB from occurring in the long-term. 

    The Home Secretary and I have been clear that we see neighbourhood policing as the bedrock of restoring public confidence in policing. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will be a crucial part of that. 

    Neighbourhood police officers are at the forefront of the fight against anti-social behaviour and for many years neighbourhood policing stood as the bedrock of that traditional British model of policing by consent.  

    However, the last decade has seen the decline of neighbourhood policing to such an extent that many of the bonds of trust and respect between the police and local communities have been lost.  

    And that’s why we will implement a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, restoring patrols to town centres, recruiting thousands of additional police personnel, and ensuring every community has a named local police officer to turn to.  

    As part of this we have agreed funding to support the College of Policing to roll out a specialist new training programme for neighbourhood officers across the country.   

    The training will help equip neighbourhood officers with the knowledge they need to tackle anti-social behaviour, problem solve and engage effectively with the communities they serve. It is essential that our neighbourhood officers have the skills, knowledge and confidence to build local relationships and to tackle the issues that damage communities the most.  

    Every community deserves local officers who understand what is needed to keep them safe. With this new training, and our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, we will deliver the change our towns and villages are desperate for.  

    I understand that no single agency holds all the levers to tackle anti-social behaviour. Effective multi-agency working is crucial to reducing ASB and ensuring safer communities. 

    That is why the strategies we are implementing are going to focus on preventing ASB in the long term and we are committed to intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime.  

    An essential part of achieving this will be the Young Futures programme.  

    This will consist of the creation of prevention partnerships across England and Wales to map existing youth provision and at-risk individuals. These partnerships will work to ensure children and young people receive the support they need to stop them being pulled into a life of crime.  

    These will be accompanied by a network of Young Future Hubs, which will bring together local services to deliver additional interventions for young people, including mental health support. 

    And, during the election campaign, we committed to cracking down in particular on vehicle-related ASB to deal with the associated noise, nuisance and dangers which communities experience.  Our proposals will make it easier for the police to seize and dispose of vehicles, including e-scooters and e-bikes, that are used anti-socially. 

    And in addition, we are working on progressing research and development on a novel technology solution to safely stop e-scooters and e-bikes and enhance the ability of the police to prevent them from being used to commit criminal acts. 

    Now I will finish by saying how grateful I am to everyone at this conference for the work that you do. It really matters.   

    And I look forward to working together as we tackle anti-social behaviour and make communities up and down the country safer.  

    Thank you very much for your time, and I very much hope you enjoy the conference.

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government commits to addressing housebuilding recommendations

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK Government has today published its response to the Competition and Market’s Authority’s (CMA) housebuilding study.

    The government has today published its response to the Competition and Market’s Authority’s (CMA) housebuilding study.

    This includes bringing forward a new consumer code for housebuilders and a New Homes Ombudsman service which will empower homeowners to rightly challenge developers for any quality issues they face in their home. 

    In response to the CMA’s recommendations, Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook said:  

    “The Government has committed to delivering 1.5 million homes in this Parliament, including the biggest increase in social and affordable housing in a generation.

    “The CMA was right to highlight areas for improvement in the housebuilding market. That is why we will empower homeowners to challenge developers over poor quality new homes and bad service, and we will consider the best way to address the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates to bring unfair costs to an end.

    “Alongside this, our updated National Planning Policy Framework and the reinstatement of mandatory housing targets for councils will ensure communities have the homes and necessary infrastructure to thrive.”

    Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA said:

    “We welcome the government’s response to our recommendations on housebuilding, which we put forward to get people better protections and open the door to delivering more good quality homes.

    “Housing is an essential area for consumers and driving economic growth, so we will assist government as they take forward our solutions, alongside progressing our wider housing work.”

    Background information:

    • Earlier this year the CMA made 11 recommendations highlighting ongoing issues in the housebuilding market which the government is working at pace to address. 

    • We have accepted the recommendations to bring forward a new consumer code for housebuilders and a New Homes Ombudsman service which will empower homeowners to rightly challenge developers for any quality issues they face in their home.  

    • Other recommendations accepted in principle include greater protections for households living under private management arrangements. This would see homeowners receiving more information about what they are paying for as well as allowing them to challenge unfair costs at a tribunal.
    • We will implement measures to improve transparency as part of the Leasehold and Freehold Act 2024 and will also consult on further options to make sure estate managers can be properly challenged for the money they spend.
    • This government is also committing to provide robust guidance for residents’ management companies, so they have the support to effectively manage amenities on their housing estates, such as drainages and open spaces. This can include appointing a managing agent to oversee services.
    • Several of the other recommendations will require further work and consultation to ensure the best policy solutions can be identified and enacted. This includes consulting on the best way to address the injustice of ‘fleecehold’ private estates.

    • The CMA also proposed 11 additional options that include wider planning reforms. Many of these options are already being considered as part of the revised National Planning Policy Framework which will see mandatory housing targets for councils and low quality ‘grey belt’ released.

    • This is on top of our Planning and Infrastructure Bill to modernise the planning system which will turbocharge housebuilding and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Museum of History to display early Chinese photography collection donated by Moonchu Foundation (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Museum of History to display early Chinese photography collection donated by Moonchu Foundation (with photos)
    Hong Kong Museum of History to display early Chinese photography collection donated by Moonchu Foundation (with photos)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The Hong Kong Museum of History (HKMH) has received a generous donation of more than 24 000 invaluable photos of a Chinese photography collection from the Moonchu Foundation. Most of the donated photos were taken in the late Qing and the Republican period and feature a wide range of contents and subject matters, which form a rare and comprehensive collection of Chinese photography. It is also the largest donation of a Chinese photography collection received by the museum. The HKMH will stage the exhibition “In Retrospect: The Early Chinese Photography Collection of Moonchu Foundation” starting tomorrow (October 23), displaying over 500 selected photographs from the donation.           As an expression of gratitude to the Foundation, the HKMH will name its Special Exhibition Gallery the “Moonchu Historical Images and Culture Gallery”, which will feature exhibitions from the Moonchu collection and exhibitions related to Chinese history and culture.           The ceremony of the Moonchu Collection donation, gallery naming and opening of the “In Retrospect: The Early Chinese Photography Collection of Moonchu Foundation” exhibition was held today (October 22) at the HKMH. Addressing the ceremony, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, said that this valuable and extensive collection of rare and complete images was collected by the Moonchu Foundation over the years in different places. Driven by their passion for Chinese culture, they specifically donated this collection to the HKMH, allowing these precious artifacts to be permanently preserved on Chinese soil. This donation not only significantly enriches the collections of the HKMH, but more importantly, provides excellent materials for studying modern Chinese society and increasing the public’s understanding of Chinese history from a century ago. He hopes that the selfless donation of the foundation and the enthusiasm for promoting Chinese culture will encourage more people to donate cultural relics related to Chinese history, telling good Chinese stories through these artifacts.           Moonchu Foundation representative Mr Chang Tsong-zung said that the “Moonchu Historical Images and Culture Gallery” and the donation are made possible through the dedicated efforts of the curators and staff members of the HKMH over the years. Their commitment to passing on the torch of history and benefiting society is both admirable and deserving of appreciation.           Other officiating guests included representatives from the Moonchu Foundation, Mr Chang Chi-wei and Mr Chang Tsong-zung; the Chairman of the Museum Advisory Committee, Professor Douglas So; the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Miss Eve Tam; and the Museum Director of the HKMH, Mr Terence Cheung.           Most of the selected photographs in this exhibition have never been publicly displayed before. The contents cover major historical events such as the Second Opium War, the Self-Strengthening Movement, the First Sino-Japanese War, the Invasion of the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Russo-Japanese War. There are also photographs depicting the urban landscapes, historic buildings and people’s livelihood during the late Qing and the Republican period, as well as specimens of different photographic materials and formats which reflect the development of early photography.           Highlight exhibits include the image of Praia Grande Bay, Macao, which was taken 180 years ago and is one of the earliest photographs of China in existence today; the works of Chinese and foreign photographers, such as the stereoscopic photos taken by American photographer James Ricalton in 1900; landscape photographs taken by famous Chinese photographer Lai Fong; photos known as “Cartes de visite” in the size of a calling card, which were popular for exchanges in social gatherings during the 19th century; as well as some glass negatives; other stereoscopic photographs and hand-coloured photographs; photo albums, and more.           An interactive area is featured in the exhibition. Visitors can use stereograph viewers to view stereoscopic photos and create their own photo album with selected old photographs. There is also a comparison of old and new photos on aerospace, infrastructure, agricultural development and people’s livelihood, illustrating how China has developed by leaps and bounds in the past century.           The exhibition is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by the HKMH and the Moonchu Foundation. In collaboration with the Chinese Culture Promotion Office, it is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series and also one of the events of the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. The exhibition will run until February 3 next year. Admission is free. For more information on the exhibition, please visit hk.history.museum/en/web/mh/exhibition/Moonchu-Exhibition.html or call 2724 9042 for enquiries.           Established in 2007, the mission of the Moonchu Foundation supports culture and education-related research, publications and talks. The Foundation hopes that the donation could enrich the HKMH’s displays and enhance research on historical images and history education, allowing members of the public to learn more about the traditional culture and the development of modern China through the research and display of the early Chinese photographs.           The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound culture of China. For more information, please visit http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.

     
    Ends/Tuesday, October 22, 2024Issued at HKT 19:00

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Update on cluster of Candida auris cases in Kowloon Hospital

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Update on cluster of Candida auris cases in Kowloon Hospital
    Update on cluster of Candida auris cases in Kowloon Hospital
    ************************************************************

    The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:     ​Regarding an earlier announcement on Candida auris carrier cases, the spokesperson for Kowloon Hospital gave the following update today (October 22):     Following a contact tracing investigation, two more patients, males aged 88 and 95 in the respiratory medicine ward, were identified as carriers of Candida auris while not having signs of infection. The patients are now being treated in isolation and are in stable condition.     The hospital will continue the contact tracing investigation of close contacts of the patients in accordance with the prevailing guidelines. A series of enhanced infection control measures have already been adopted to prevent the spread of Candida auris, namely: 

    thorough cleaning and disinfection of the ward concerned;
    enhanced admission screening for patients and environmental screening procedures; and
    application of stringent contact precautions and enhanced hand hygiene of staff and patients.

         The hospital will continue the enhanced infection control measures and closely monitor the situation of the ward concerned. The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health for necessary follow-up.

     
    Ends/Tuesday, October 22, 2024Issued at HKT 18:45

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    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –